U & Your Skin | Norwich

Thursday, 23 February 2017

On Friday I was lucky enough to spend the evening having a lovely natter and pamper with the wonderful Norwich Bloggers at the U & Your Skin skincare lounge. Situated on Bridewell Alley, in the beautiful Norwich lanes, U and Your Skin is an independent skincare lounge founded by skincare expert Louise Thomas-Minns.

Louise founded the brand after years of working within the beauty industry and struggling with acne throughout her teens, where she realised that she needed to take a more innovative approach to how she looks after her skin- something we probably all need to do! Louise developed her signature 3D skincare approach, combining science, nutrition and a holistic philosophy in order to create a bespoke facial experience. One of the things that stood out to me most at the event was how much passion and enthusiasm Louise and her associate skin therapist Hayley have for the work they do and how much of a positive impact they have on their clients. The products used during U & Your Skin facials are all handpicked by Louise, who ensures the products used are scientifically proven to give results.

On arrival at U & Your Skin I was bowled over by how lovely and quaint the interior of the skin lounge was and I had a fascinating browse of all the products available to purchase from the shop and also online. I was handed a glass of pink lemonade, and began chatting to the other ladies at the event. It was great to catch up with some of the lovely ladies I've met before, but it was also great to see some new faces at the event. The canapés on offer were from Logans Sandwich Bar in Norwich, and they were delicious, the Brie was a firm favourite with me!

It was then time for us to head into one of the 3 treatment rooms and begin our pamper session. I was the first to have a facial, and as someone who has never been happy with their skin, it was a scary thought to be face-naked infront of so many people, but Louise soon put me at ease! My facial started off with a cleanse to remove my makeup and then whilst my face mask was sinking in I received an amazing massage.

Louise could tell me so much about my skin just from looking at it and I was surprised to find out that I had signs of water loss. I've also been struggling with a breakout in 3 key areas of my face and Louise enlightened me on what those particular areas could be telling me about whats going on inside my body. I've had a lot of spots appear on my chin area, which is usually down to hormones *ahem*, a few on my cheeks, which usually signifies respiratory issues and one camping out on my forehead which is related to the liver- and maybe due to a few too many wines during the week! I explained to Louise that I often suffer from a lot of redness and scarring after blemishes, so she suggested I use soothing products.

I really want to book myself in for another facial with Louise so she can tell me exactly how to improve my skin issues and recommend some products. I have a very basic skincare routine at the moment, which definitely needs improving!

Did you know that a lot of people are deficient in Vitamin D? No, me neither! It's so important to use SPF under your makeup to protect your skin from UV rays, but its also important to try and get 15 minutes of sun 3 times a week to reduce the chances of becoming deficient in Vitamin D. This is just one of the tips I learnt throughout the evening and there were many more!

Louise was so knowledgeable about different skin concerns, however she did explain that if any of her clients ever raised an issue she didn't feel she could solve she would contact her nutritionalist and medical adviser. Part of the U & Your Skin philosophy is making sure you fuel your body with the right food, which will ultimately show on your skin! Some other great tips I managed to pick up from chatting to Louise was that Magnesium supplements can be taken to help with tiredness and I also learnt about the many health benefits of using Epsom Salts in your bath.

One of the questions I was eager to ask was what sort of products should I be incorporating into my morning and night skincare routines. Louise recommended double cleansing at night 1) to remove makeup and 2) to treat the skin. The same cleanser can be used for both cleanses and afterwards a repairing and regenerating serum should be applied, followed by eye cream and a moisturiser to lock in moisture. The morning routine is less product heavy, but its important to moisturise and use products with environmental shields and SPF to protect your skin from environmental pollution and UV rays. Exfoliating on a weekly basis is also a crucial step in caring for your skin!

U & Your Skin facials start from £25, and there is a wide range of different facials on offer. There are also a varied range of supplementary treatments available, such as waxing, threading and electrolysis. On offer at the skin lounge is the Dermalux treatment, which uses light to visibly rejuvenate the skin and reduce pigmentation, signs of ageing, environmental damage and resolve inflammatory skin conditions like Acne, Eczema and Psoriasis. You can find out more about the treatments available here.

I had a great time at the U and Your Skin event and I'm looking forward to returning. A BIG thanks to the Justine, Hannah and Courtney who run the Norwich Bloggers page for helping organise the event and to Louise and her team for the hospitality, amazing facials and goodies on the evening!